This was before the race. Will is in the back. Just look for the skinny white legs :)
When the race started, it was a little bit intimidating to see 150 high school boys running at me! Everyone was jockeying to be in front at this point too, so even standing standing where I was on the side was a bit dangerous!
I finally saw Will pass me. He was the last one at the beginning. I was so surprised and talked to him later about trying to be in the front at the beginning to get a better time. He just told me that he is too small and it's too dangerous. If you are as small as he is, you can get trampled. He knows a kid who ran a race with a broken arm because he got trampled.
He just waited for people to get tired and then started passing them. He ended up finishing 57th out of 150. He said that the one freshman who beat him was from Green Valley HS and was crazy fast - his time was 16:something.
He felt terrible after the race and that is how we know that he did it right. The following is an excerpt from Coach Tondryk's web page on how to be a XC Fan:
The finish line of an XC race can look like a disaster; kids are throwing up, a few may be
crying, some have peed their pants, many are hunched over or laying on the ground. This is
totally normal and expected. CHS runners are taught to stand tall and act like winners at
the finish line regardless of how they ran. They are taught that they aren’t going to die, so
they shouldn’t act like it. Please don’t be alarmed when the coach doesn’t run over and tend to
your athlete that is throwing up or bent over catching their breath. Most athletes just want a
drink of water and a few minutes to themselves to catch their breath and let their heart rate
come down.
I had a lot of fun cheering for all the racers and even got a little bit emotional about how hard they all worked (not even just about Will, but about all of them :)) I went over and met the Basic HS team as well and introduced Will to the girls. One of my Spanish students was there to support her sister, so it was fun to see her there too and meet her mother.
Ivy was bored most of the time, but decided it was a pretty good experience when we stopped at Taco Bell afterward.
2 comments:
Delicious details! I loved hearing how he did so well with stealth and speed. Smart kid. I worry a bit about the running and training in your heat, but I guess they get used to it. Within limits, it sounds like. The coach is very accepting of things that could be signs of heat stroke. I also loved the disgruntled sister picture at the end and that you went over to talk to the Basic kids. You are going to be one of the teachers they remember because you put in the effort to make it a relationship. I'm so impressed with what you do!
I read this with such eagerness. It would be fun to visit that State Park. I spend a ton of time in the National Park which is great, but I need to explore more.
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